LOS ANGELES – Vinny Del Negro had a plane ride, a night of rest in his own bed and a trip to Staples Center to let his mood improve from a disappointing night in Houston.

None of it helped.

"I'm not really happy right now," Del Negro said before Monday night's game.

Following a 98-81 defeat Saturday in Houston, Del Negro lit into his team, citing a lack of effort, energy, execution and toughness for his anger.

So when Del Negro met with the media for the first time since Saturday, his cheeriness hadn't improved. The hope was, though, that his team would come out of the gates inspired.

"There's always the intensity factor. You have to come with energy," Del Negro said. "If you don't work hard, I don't care how much talent you have. It's not going to work. You got to be prepared mentally. You have to be mentally tough and have a sense of urgency to your game from the jump ball."

Well, if the first three minutes were a representation, Del Negro's postgame fit didn't stick.

The Clippers opened the game by committing three turnovers on the first four possessions. And while the Clippers couldn't score, the Pacers started the game on a 10-0 run.

PLAYOFF READY?

Before Monday's game with Indiana, Chauncey Billups said something is separating the Clippers from the best teams in the league.

"There are a lot of teams that have raised their level of play," he said. "We're not one of them."

As the Clippers get ready for the postseason, Del Negro said the team needs to be more stable as the games get bigger and bigger.

"We've got to play better," he said. You win games by playing at a high level, consistently at a high level."

Billups, who won a title with the Detroit Pistons, said there is a learning curve when it comes to raising your intensity for the playoffs, a lesson the Clippers could've learned last season in a four-game sweep by the San Antonio Spurs.

"It's something you have to go through to learn," Billups said. "But I thought what we went through last year in the second round was enough."

INJURY UPDATES

The Clippers, predictably, are a little banged up with a little more than two weeks left in the season.

Billups missed his third straight game with a strained right groin, and Blake Griffin and Matt Barnes both played hurt.

Griffin's sore left calf, which is being protected by a compression sleeve, is slowly improving.

"The only way that's going to get better is rest, and there's no time for that right now," Del Negro said.

Barnes sprained his right ankle in the second half Saturday and left the game, but he was able to play Monday.

NOTES

Early Monday, Jamal Crawford and Chris Paul were nominated by the Pro Basketball Writers Association for the Magic Johnson Award, given to the player who combines on-court performance with cooperation towards fans and the media. ... Paul will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Tuesday's Dodgers-Giants game. Paul and Griffin appeared in a promotional video before the first pitch Monday at Dodger Stadium.

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